To The Stars

“That’s right.”

“I’m Kjell Norrvall.” He put his hand out. “In charge of satellite maintenance. A pleasure to have you here.”

“My pleasure. Getting into space.”

“We’re not exactly interstellar here — but we’re still a long way from Earth. Look, I don’t know if you’re hungry or not, but I just came off shift and I’m starving.”

“Give me a few minutes and I think I’ll be able to eat. This going in and out of gravity isn’t the easiest thing on the stomach.”

“Neither is coming in on the wee-waw express with all the white bags…”

“Kjell, please…”

“Sorry. Change the subject. Good to see you here. First engineer from the London lab in over five years.

“It can’t be.”

“Certainly is. They sit there on their fat balder — present company excepted — and tell us what to do up here without the slightest idea of what our problems are. So you are welcome, I mean that. So you’ll excuse my bad Norwegian jokes, yes?”

“Yes, of course. As soon as I settle down I’ll make some myself.”

“Right in here.”

There was quiet background music in the dining room which had been decorated with some degree of taste. The flowers along the wall only looked like plastic when one came close. A few men were queuing at the self-service counter, but Jan had no desire to get that close to food quite yet.

“I’ll find a table,” he said.

“Can I get you anything?”

“Just a cup of tea.”

“No problem.”

Jan tried not to look too closely at the meal Kjell was wolfing down with great enthusiasm; the tea went down very well and he was happy with that.

“‘When do I get to see the satellite?” Jan asked.

“As soon as we finish here, if you like. Your bag will be in your room waiting for you. Before I forget, here’s the key, the number is on it. I’ll show you how a spacesuit works and we can go out.”

“Is it that easy-going into space?”

“Yes and no. The suits are about as foolproof as they can be made, so that’s not a worry. And the only way to learn to work in zero-G in space is to go out and do it. You won’t be flying, that takes a long time to learn, so I’ll take you out in a powered suit and anchor you. Bring you back the same way. You can work as long as you want, to get the hang of tool using, then shout into the radio when you’ve had enough. You’ll never be out there alone: one of us will get to you within sixty seconds. Nothing to worry about.”

Kjell pushed his plate away and started on a large and violently red sweet. Jan turned his eyes away. The fabric paneling on the walls was attractive.

“No windows,” Jan said. “I haven’t seen one since I arrived.”

“You won’t either — only one is in the control tower. We’re in geosynchronous orbit here, where most of the satellites are. Also right in the middle of a Van Allen belt. Plenty of radiation out there — but plenty of shielding too in these walls. The suits we use have heavy shielding as well, and even with that we don’t go out during solar storms.”

“What is the situation now?”

“Quiet. And it should stay that way. Ready?”

“Lead the way.”

Everything that could be automated in the spacesuits was — with multiple standby and fail-safe circuits. Internal temperature, oxygen demand, humidity controls were all computer controlled. As was the control input.

“You just talk to the suit,” Kjell said. “Call it suit control, tell it what you want, then say end suit control when you are finished. Like this.” He lifted the bowl-like helmet and spoke into it.“Suit control, give me a status report.”

“Unoccupied, all internal controls off oxygen tank full, batteries fully charged.” The voice was mechanical, but clear.

“Are there specific commands or phrases?” Jan asked.

“No, just speak clearly and the discrimination circuits will sort out the command words and phrases. It’ll query if there is any doubt, and repeat any commands before actuating them.”

“Sounds simple enough — I hope it is. Shall we start?”

“Now’s the time. Sit down and put your legs in here…”

It went easily and Jan had faith in the Suit circuitry when it warned him that his right glove wasn’t sealed completely. With the helmet in place he lumbered after Kjell into the airlock. His suit unwrinkled as the pressure dropped and when it hit zero the outer door automatically unlocked.

“Here we go,” Kjell’s voice said on the radio hookup, and pushed them out through the opening.

They were on the dark side of the station. Words had not prepared Jan for the sight of the stars, unmasked by any atmosphere or pictured on a screen. There seemed to be too many of them, filling all of space. Varying in brightness and color. He knew the arctic sky at night, but that had only been a suggestion of the grandeur and beauty that filled space around him. Long minutes passed without his realizing it, until Kjell spoke.

“It always hits you like that. But the first time is special.”

“Unbelievable!”

“And it’s not going away — so we can get some work done now.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be. I feel the same way.”